Book description
Despite its significance in world and American history, the World War
I era is seldom identified as a turning point in southern history, as
it failed to trigger substantial economic, political, or social change
in the South. Yet in 1917, black and white reformers in South Carolina
saw their world on the brink of momentous change. In a state
politically controlled by a white minority, the war era incited
oppositional movements. As South Carolina's economy benefited from the
war, white reformers sought to use their newfound prosperity to better
the state's education system and economy and to provide white citizens
with a better standard of living. Black reformers, however, channeled
the feelings of hope instilled by a war that would "make the
world safe for democracy" into efforts that challenged the
structures of the status quo. In Entangled by White Supremacy: Reform
in World War I--era South Carolina, historian Janet G. Hudson examines
the complex racial and social dynamics at play during this pivotal
period of U. S. history. With critical study of the early war
mobilization efforts, public policy debates, and the state's political
culture, Hudson illustrates how the politics of white supremacy
hindered the reform efforts of both white and black activists. The
World War I period was a complicated time in South Carolina -- an era
of prosperity and hope as well as fear and anxiety. As African
Americans sought to change the social order, white reformers
confronted the realization that their newfound economic opportunities
could also erode their control. Hudson details how white supremacy
formed an impenetrable barrier to progress in the region. Entangled by
White Supremacy explains why white southerners failed to construct a
progressive society by revealing the incompatibility of white
reformers' twin goals of maintaining white supremacy and achieving
progressive reform. In addition, Hudson offers insight into the social
history of South Carolina and the development of the state's crucial
role in the civil rights era to come.
"In this clear-eyed, carefully told, and compelling book,
Janet Hudson adds a crucial early chapter to the long history of the
civil rights movement and white resistance to change in the
South.--Bryant Simon, author of A Fabric of Defeat: The Politics of
South Carolina Millhands, 1910-1948" --
Janet G. Hudson, assistant professor of history in the department
of continuing education at the University of South Carolina, is the
author of several articles on South Carolina history. This is her
first book.
